Rating: 
Summary: Like the Vortext Torpedo, it's got some bugs....
Review: "Phoenix" is sort of like a submarine version of a story that combines "Sink the Bismark" and the story behind the 9-11 attacks. Though it brings back Captain Pacino, commander of the cutting edge nuclear sub "Seawolf" amd hero of other Michael DiMercurio novels, the plot sets the book apart from his other books, and also keeps Pacino on the sidelines for most of the story.The Plot: The Islamic world has united and formed a massive powerful union (UIF) that wars against the west. The war itself is already old news when "Phoenix" starts. The UIF, led by the enigmatic General Sihoud and slowly realizing that the tide has turned against them, crafts a deadly weapon - a "dirty" radiological bomb that can coat a major american city with a sticky film of plutonium. Unfortunately (for them) the UIF have only figured out how to mount these bombs on short-range cruise missiles, and the UIF has no territory or assets anywhere near mainland America. When a US strike at Sihoud's command narrowly fails to kill Sihoud himself, the general escapes and rendezvous at sea with the "Hegira", a high-tech UIF submarine supplied (like most of the UIF's cutting edge weaponry) by Japan, and already armed with the deadly missiles. Knowing the situation desperate, Sihoud presses the sub to break out of the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic, where they will launch atleast one of their missiles on Washington. Complicating things is the experience and numerical superiority of the Americans, the fact that none of Hegira's torpedo tubes are designed to be re-loaded at sea (like the VLS tubes on latter models of the Los Angeles Class SSN), and that Hegira's hi-tech makes the sub's capabilities almost as mysterious to its crew as it does its enemies. On the other side, 3 of the USN's nuclear subs stand between Hegira and the US - Seawolf, Augusta and Phoenix. Seawolf begins the book in dry-dock, where the Navy had been working feverishly to install tubes for the "Vortex", a revolutionary type of torpedo. When a test for the new torp (a rocket-propelled wonder obviously influenced by the real-life Soviet "Shkval") goes disastrously wrong (both the test target and shooter are destroyed), the USN works feverishly to remove the tubes. The hunt for the Hegira puts a crimp on those plans as well, and Pacino is forced to go to sea with the hated Vortex. Augusta is a latter model Los Angeles Class SSN, almost a match for Seawolf, and commanded by a fearless master of submarine warfare. Between the two subs is Phoenix, an aging "Flight I" Los Angeles Class boat, commanded by the very competent if less-than-stellar commander Kane. This was a very good submarine thriller (considering "Shark Mutiny" was my last one) which, like the vortex missile packs a punch and a misfire in the same shot. What goes wrong is the basic premise - a pitched war with the UIF (and even the UIF idea) seem pretty far-fetched. Dimercurio goes to a lot of trouble creating Sihoud and getting him to Hegira - but since he doesn't do anything once he's on board (not being experienced or even informed on the dynamics of sub-war), there's no real reason for him to be there at all. The idea that the US will give in after it's been hit by one of the UIF's dirty bombs (in an attack they know can't really be repeated) is also a big stretch. Isn't there an at least as strong possibility that we'd just hit back harder? Other stretches are the Vortex torpedoes - it's clear that they're hazardous from day-one (the Navy test fires them from unmanned drone subs) - but the Navy still guts their top attack sub just to install the unproven weapon aboard. (That Pacinio works up a solution to the problem that otherwise eludes its designers doesn't make that twist any more acceptable) The UIF are largely generic bad guys and (outside of the war situation) they're not really that bad (Dimercurio gives the Islamic crewmen a conscience that's reviled by the suffering they're about to unleash). The book is pretty short on surprises (including an ocean map that charts the course of all subs in the book). The biggest flaw of the book is that it's not really about anybody, so with all of the action going on, we never really know who we're supposed to pay attention to or care about. Though Pacino is supposed to be the hero, the guy Dimercurio really should have headlined was Kane. With his less than stellar credentials and his creaky old submarine, Kane's life expectancy is excitingly low, and the story does place a lot of emphasis on him, without ever showing it cares about what's going through his mind. Dimercurio introduces his characters with a fairly detailed description (unlike Dale Brown, he manages to keep this from interrupting the action) that never otherwise affects how they act or interrlate throughout the rest of the book (Kane's insecurity allows his XO to become a rival figure on the boat, an intriguing idea that disappears once they confront Hegira). On the plus side, "Phoenix" survives its implausible premise, and the action guarantees that you won't put it down half-finished. The technology of military subs is too complex to be satisfyingly synthesized for landlubbers like us, so Dimercurio does a bang-up job making it as clear as he does and further by conveying the tension each crew faces despite the techno-speak. The compact plot keeps your attentions even if it makes clear why we won't have a sub-thriller as enjoyable as "Red October" or "Sink the Potemkin".
Rating:
Summary: Like the Vortext Torpedo, it's got some bugs....
Review: "Phoenix" is sort of like a submarine version of a story that combines "Sink the Bismark" and the story behind the 9-11 attacks. Though it brings back Captain Pacino, commander of the cutting edge nuclear sub "Seawolf" amd hero of other Michael DiMercurio novels, the plot sets the book apart from his other books, and also keeps Pacino on the sidelines for most of the story. The Plot: The Islamic world has united and formed a massive powerful union (UIF) that wars against the west. The war itself is already old news when "Phoenix" starts. The UIF, led by the enigmatic General Sihoud and slowly realizing that the tide has turned against them, crafts a deadly weapon - a "dirty" radiological bomb that can coat a major american city with a sticky film of plutonium. Unfortunately (for them) the UIF have only figured out how to mount these bombs on short-range cruise missiles, and the UIF has no territory or assets anywhere near mainland America. When a US strike at Sihoud's command narrowly fails to kill Sihoud himself, the general escapes and rendezvous at sea with the "Hegira", a high-tech UIF submarine supplied (like most of the UIF's cutting edge weaponry) by Japan, and already armed with the deadly missiles. Knowing the situation desperate, Sihoud presses the sub to break out of the Mediterranean and into the Atlantic, where they will launch atleast one of their missiles on Washington. Complicating things is the experience and numerical superiority of the Americans, the fact that none of Hegira's torpedo tubes are designed to be re-loaded at sea (like the VLS tubes on latter models of the Los Angeles Class SSN), and that Hegira's hi-tech makes the sub's capabilities almost as mysterious to its crew as it does its enemies. On the other side, 3 of the USN's nuclear subs stand between Hegira and the US - Seawolf, Augusta and Phoenix. Seawolf begins the book in dry-dock, where the Navy had been working feverishly to install tubes for the "Vortex", a revolutionary type of torpedo. When a test for the new torp (a rocket-propelled wonder obviously influenced by the real-life Soviet "Shkval") goes disastrously wrong (both the test target and shooter are destroyed), the USN works feverishly to remove the tubes. The hunt for the Hegira puts a crimp on those plans as well, and Pacino is forced to go to sea with the hated Vortex. Augusta is a latter model Los Angeles Class SSN, almost a match for Seawolf, and commanded by a fearless master of submarine warfare. Between the two subs is Phoenix, an aging "Flight I" Los Angeles Class boat, commanded by the very competent if less-than-stellar commander Kane. This was a very good submarine thriller (considering "Shark Mutiny" was my last one) which, like the vortex missile packs a punch and a misfire in the same shot. What goes wrong is the basic premise - a pitched war with the UIF (and even the UIF idea) seem pretty far-fetched. Dimercurio goes to a lot of trouble creating Sihoud and getting him to Hegira - but since he doesn't do anything once he's on board (not being experienced or even informed on the dynamics of sub-war), there's no real reason for him to be there at all. The idea that the US will give in after it's been hit by one of the UIF's dirty bombs (in an attack they know can't really be repeated) is also a big stretch. Isn't there an at least as strong possibility that we'd just hit back harder? Other stretches are the Vortex torpedoes - it's clear that they're hazardous from day-one (the Navy test fires them from unmanned drone subs) - but the Navy still guts their top attack sub just to install the unproven weapon aboard. (That Pacinio works up a solution to the problem that otherwise eludes its designers doesn't make that twist any more acceptable) The UIF are largely generic bad guys and (outside of the war situation) they're not really that bad (Dimercurio gives the Islamic crewmen a conscience that's reviled by the suffering they're about to unleash). The book is pretty short on surprises (including an ocean map that charts the course of all subs in the book). The biggest flaw of the book is that it's not really about anybody, so with all of the action going on, we never really know who we're supposed to pay attention to or care about. Though Pacino is supposed to be the hero, the guy Dimercurio really should have headlined was Kane. With his less than stellar credentials and his creaky old submarine, Kane's life expectancy is excitingly low, and the story does place a lot of emphasis on him, without ever showing it cares about what's going through his mind. Dimercurio introduces his characters with a fairly detailed description (unlike Dale Brown, he manages to keep this from interrupting the action) that never otherwise affects how they act or interrlate throughout the rest of the book (Kane's insecurity allows his XO to become a rival figure on the boat, an intriguing idea that disappears once they confront Hegira). On the plus side, "Phoenix" survives its implausible premise, and the action guarantees that you won't put it down half-finished. The technology of military subs is too complex to be satisfyingly synthesized for landlubbers like us, so Dimercurio does a bang-up job making it as clear as he does and further by conveying the tension each crew faces despite the techno-speak. The compact plot keeps your attentions even if it makes clear why we won't have a sub-thriller as enjoyable as "Red October" or "Sink the Potemkin".
Rating: 
Summary: A tale of World War III against the United Islamic Front...
Review: "Phoenix Sub Zero" tells the tale of the realistic scenario of a stealthy submarine attack, employing a nuclear attack submarine to its most lethal potential. This is a must-read for any DiMercurio fan. By the time you finish, you'll hear the groan of the hull around you, the trembling of the deck at all-ahead flank, the sweat and oil of the periscope eyepiece on your face. And if you liked it, don't forget "Voyage of the Devilfish," "Attack of the Seawolf," "Barracuda: Final Bearing," and the soon to be published (Feb '99) "Piranha" Firing Point." Please check out the latest news on USSDevilfish.com.
Rating: 
Summary: Very hard to fault!
Review: A scenario where all the Middle Eastern and North African countries become an Islamic super-coalition forms the basis for this excellent and riveting submarine action thriller. When a Navy SEAL attack on a military installation in Turkmenistan fails, the Islamic dictator Sihoud escapes to the Mediterranean and the United Islamic Front's(didn't Tom Clancy 'borrow' this angle for a large part of EXECUTIVE ORDERS a year afterwards?!!) latest ultramodern sub, the HEGIRA, with a neural network computer and supersonic Scorpion cruise missiles armed with plutonium glue warheads targeted at Washington. And as the story develops, two 688-class subs try to stop the HEGIRA. One is sunk, the other forced to bottom out in scenes which give you a genuine sense of claustrophobia! This book puts you right in the thick of the action as well as on-going heroes Admiral Donchez and Captain Pacino try to stop the UIF's weapon of mass destruction! Definitely one that is unputdownable. The action and thrills come thick and fast, the weapons systems of the future are well explained and feasible and the characters are very well crafted, with more dimension and feeling that some other techno-thrillers I've read. On the whole,highly recommended even for non-military readers.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, some problems.
Review: After reading Phoenix Sub zero I found myself in a deja vu' situation. I have read Voyage of the Devilfish and this book seems a little bit like it. It has a good plot and a believable scenario but it threads together like Devilfish. A hunt for a super-sub. A super torpedo, both boats blowing up. I am hoping for a turn around with Barracuda Final Bearing the next book in the Pacino saga
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, but requires excessive suspension of disbelief
Review: As a formal Naval officer, I did enjoy reading this book (and his others), but there are some technical inaccuracies and editing problems that were irritating to someone who knows something about the underwater world. I'm always willing to suspend disbelief for a book, but the author needs to make his situations and/or inventions plausible in the context of the fictional universe. From my point of view, DiMercurio fails in this aspect. I won't give it away, but there is a scene in this book where the conditions would kill the participants in a minimum of three separate ways. On the hardcover book, his bookjacket biography is self-aggrandizing at a minimum. He went to US Army jump school as a Naval Academy midshipmen .. the bio says he served as a paratrooper. He attended US Navy scuba school, which is a fairly short training program, and the bio states he was a USN Diving officer (which is actually a very different program, one that requires a minumum of three months of training. I know. I went through it.) Still, the books are worth reading, esp. if you get them from a library. Just don't expect great literature.
Rating:
Summary: Action and plot outstanding! new war toys too complicated.
Review: I have to say that the author is excellent at making the reader feel like he or she "Have the Conn". The scenario of Islamics countries forming a singular union state one day is a plausible one. The question is, why couldn't he follow the Navy Chief's most valuable advice; The "KISS" principle, or "Keep It Simple Stupid". We did not need all the complicated submarines and aircraft with electronic jamming pods...yattaw, yattaw, yattaw. I mean, I am Lt. SWO in the Navy and I skipped a few paragraphs myself. "Voyage of the Devilfish", That was KISS (Of course, you know it was good, DiMercurio has promoted ALL his books in every single review page for his books) A 6 might be a bit harsh to some, but when you go into the "innerworks of the future of aviation and submarine warfare" you will force most of your readers to take a nap!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book. Good follow up to "Voyage of the Devilfish".
Review: If you like Tom Clancy you'll love Dimercurio
Rating:
Summary: DiMercurio's books just keep getting better and better!
Review: Phoenix Sub Zero is DiMercurio's third novel, and is even more thrilling and engrossing than his previous two. The scope of the plot is much larger, covering much of the globe, from the deserts of Iran all the way to the polar ice cap. The Destiny-class Hegira is a very well thought-out and described in detail, with interesting descriptions of an artificially-intelligent neural network as the sub's computer system. The action scenes, of course, and spectacular, and described in intricate detail. I can't wait to pick up the author's next novel, "Barracuda: Final Bearing"!
Rating: 
Summary: More like 4-and-a-half stars...
Review: Phoenix Sub Zero is everything that DiMercurio's past novels are: Fast paced, Fast Action and plenty of techno-wizardry. I don't think that it takes a rocket scientist to recognize where the story leaves established facts and enters the realm of fantasy, but as long as the story keeps us rivited, WHO CARES? The one thing (for me, anyway) that really set 'Phoenix Sub Zero' apart from the previous adventures in print by DiMercurio is the rescue ending. Sure, there was never any doubt that 'Patch' was going to pull off a last ditch save of the Eastern Seaboard by doing whatever it took to keep the Hegira from firing the potentially devastating Scorpion, but it was the 'how' that kept me transfixed as the story unfolded. After all of the sub novels that I have read, DiMercurio still reigns as the Supreme Commander of adventure sub-fiction. And personally, as long as he can continue to write fun and exciting sub novels, I plan on being a loyal reader.
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